“Sarek”
Written by Peter S. Beagle
Story by Mark Cushman and Jake Jacobs
Directed by Les Landau

Season 3, Episode 23
Original air date: May 14, 1990
Star date: 43917.4

Mission summary

Picard and Riker are giddy to be hosting a very special guest: Ambassador Sarek from Vulcan, who will be presiding over the first meeting and negotiations between the Federation and a race called the Legarans. Word is, the 202-year-old Vulcan will be retiring soon after, leaving this as the crowning achievement to an illustrious career.

The captain’s excitement at having Sarek aboard his Enterprise is deflated by Sarek’s aides, chief of staff Ki Mendrossen and an assistant, another Vulcan named Sakkath. They caution him that Sarek won’t be up for hanging out with them much on this trip after all, preferring to be left alone in his quarters. However, when Sarek and his second wife, a human named Perrin, beam aboard, the ambassador insists on inspecting the conference room immediately—despite the protestations of his wife and entourage.

When the group arrives in the conference room, Wesley and La Forge are still setting up a cozy slime pit for the Legarans. Sarek is not pleased that the room isn’t ready and seems a little high-strung.

Although Picard has already been told Sarek must be left alone, he decides to invite Perrin to a Mozart concert arranged in his honor, throwing in a little diplomatic flirting for the ambassador’s wife. She is flattered and agrees to invite Sarek, making no promises. After Picard departs, she checks in on her husband and finds he’s still having trouble meditating, and he’s a little defensive about it.

Meanwhile, back at the slime pit… Wesley’s anxious to finish up so he can go on a date with a hot young ensign. But first, things heat up between him and La Forge, in a completely uncharacteristic and nonsexual way.

LAFORGE: What’s your hurry? You don’t really think something’s going to happen with Suzanne Dumont, do you?WESLEY: At least I’m not spending the night with a good book like some people.
LAFORGE: What’s that supposed to mean?WESLEY: Just what it sounds like.LAFORGE: Let me tell you something. You’d get more action out of a good book than you’ll ever see on this date, I’ll guarantee it. She’s not going to waste her time on someone like you.
WESLEY: Someone like me?
LAFORGE: She’s way out of your league.WESLEY: Since when did you become an expert on women?LAFORGE: Compared to you, every male on this ship is an expert on women.WESLEY: Well at least I don’t have to find my women on the holodeck!

Oh, dip! But he’s not wrong…

Riker walks in just in time to stop things from escalating further, but it seems this isn’t an isolated incident; at the concert, Picard tells his first officer to find out why Worf has reported Ensign D’Amato for insubordination.

The captain is pleased when Sarek and his entourage appear at the concert after all, but the night takes a disturbing turn when the music moves the Vulcan so much that even Counselor Troi takes notice. Sakkath also shows a marked interest in his mentor, and before long Sarek actually cries and is rushed out of the room, leaving Troi and Picard strangely unsettled by the shocking public display of emotion.

The random surges of anger continue, including Dr. Crusher slapping her son without even a “Shut up, Wesley!” and culminating in a full-out brawl in Ten Forward (instigated by Chief O’Brien, naturally). When Sakkath asks Data if either Troi or Picard could take over negotiations with the Legarans — asking for a friend — the crew finally pieces together a theory.

Troi reports there have been many other similar violent incidents in the past two days — in fact, ever since Sarek came aboard. Dr. Crusher suggests that the ambassador is the cause: Perhaps he has contracted a rare Vulcan disease known as Bendii Syndrome, which causes them to lose control over their emotions, and that he is telepathically and subconsciously affecting the crew. Eventually, Sakkath spills the beans and admits that he has been holding Sarek’s mind together, but the strain of this diplomatic mission is too much for him.

Picard tries to confront Sarek, and it turns out that Perrin and Mendrossen have been shielding him from the truth for some time. Thus, the ambassador refuses to admit that he has a problem. Sakkath tells him he has been reinforcing his mind, and Sarek tells him to stop to prove that is perfectly healthy. As he argues with Captain Picard and becomes increasingly angry and illogical, it seems he is definitely not firing on all thrusters.

SAREK: Ah. I believe I see the flaw in your logic. You are reacting to their overprotective attitudes towards me. They are both somewhat emotional concerning my age.
PICARD: Surely Sakkath cannot be influenced by emotion?SAREK: Am I to be blamed for the judgment of a child? Sakkath is young and inexperienced. He erred in his assumption that I needed help!PICARD: But you needed his help at the concert. Or is there possibly some other logical explanation for what happened that night?SAREK: What happened?PICARD: I saw you crying.SAREK: I do not cry.PICARD: I was there. I saw the tears.SAREK: You exaggerate, Captain. I recall only one tear.PICARD: So you were emotionally affected by the music.SAREK: That is not possible!PICARD: You still haven’t answered my question, Sarek. Is it logical for a Vulcan to cry?SAREK: It was late. I was fatigued. Nothing more. The Legarans trust only me. They will not meet with any other member of the Federation. I must be allowed to complete my mission! There are no other logical solutions!PICARD: No other logical solutions? But Ambassador, there are always other solutions. You have said so yourself many times.SAREK: What I meant was that—PICARD: Sarek of Vulcan would never be afraid of looking straight at something he did not want to see.SAREK: I warn you! Your efforts to discredit me will not succeed!PICARD: Sarek of Vulcan never confused what he wanted with the truth.SAREK: I will not be spoken to in this manner!PICARD: Do I hear anger in your voice?SAREK: It would be illogical for a Vulcan to show anger! It would be illogical! Illogical! Illogical! Illogical!

As the hour approaches for the meeting with the Legarans, Picard prepares to cancel the negotiations, since Sarek is in no condition to carry out his role. But Perrin offers a desperate plan that would allow her husband to complete the mission and retire with pride and dignity: a mind meld with Picard to give him emotional stability.

Sure, why not? Under supervision by Dr. Crusher, Sarek and Picard merge minds, telepathically linking them to allow the Vulcan to funnel his uncontrolled rage and despair to the captain. As the ambassador successfully negotiates with the Legarans, achieving the goal he has worked toward for ninety-three years, Picard wrestles with his pent-up emotions, in true Shakespearean fashion.

PICARD: No! It is wrong. It is wrong! A lifetime of discipline washed away, and in its place bedlam. Bedlam! I am so old. There is nothing left but dry bones and dead friends. Tired, oh so tired.CRUSHER: It will pass, all of it. Just another hour or so. You’re doing fine. Just hold on.PICARD: No! This weakness disgusts me! I hate it! Where is my logic? I am betrayed by desires. I want to feel. I want to feel everything. But I am a Vulcan. I must feel nothing. Give me back my control.CRUSHER: Jean-Luc!PICARD: Perrin. Amanda. I wanted to give you so much more. I wanted to show you such tenderness. But that is not our way. Spock, Amanda, did you know? Perrin, can you know how much I love you? I do love you! Beverly.CRUSHER: I’m here, Jean-Luc. I’m not going anywhere.PICARD: It’s quite difficult. The anguish of the man, the despair pouring out of him, all those feelings, the regrets. I can’t stop them… I can’t stop them. I can’t. I can’t.CRUSHER: Don’t even try.

With all that sorted, Picard bids Sarek farewell in the transporter room.

SAREK: We shall always retain the best part of the other inside us.PICARD: I believe I have the best part of that bargain, Ambassador. Peace and long life.SAREK: Live long and prosper.

Analysis

The Star Trek fan boy in me still squees mightily whenever someone from the original series makes a guest appearance on TNG. Though we had a cameo from DeForest Kelley as Admiral McCoy (one of the few bright points in the pilot), having Mark Lenard reprise his most famous Star Trek role was a special treat and it’s a joy to see him onscreen again.

And yet. Although there is much to love here and Lenard’s performance is incredible, there’s something ever so slightly off about the episode. It doesn’t feel contrived exactly, but maybe it’s a bit too carefully constructed to appeal to long-time fans of the franchise. Consider this: Why is Picard the only person who can mind meld with Sarek to help him control his emotions? Why not Counselor Troi, for instance, who must deal with other people’s emotions all the time and is actually slightly telepathic? Sarek even says no human could control his emotions, but Picard pulls the “It’s only logical” card, to convince someone who is now incredibly illogical, and so it’s settled.

Is Picard the only choice because he’s the captain of the Enterprise and arguably the star of the show? Were they already planning for him to mind meld with Spock one day? Or maybe, probably, it’s because only Patrick Stewart could display the range of conflicting emotions so masterfully — it’s a tour de force, one of the most striking and moving scenes in the series. Then there’s this clever little bit of foreshadowing that seems a little too much like a wink on this re-watch:

PICARD: Well, we’ll respect Mister Mendrossen’s request and allow Ambassador Sarek his privacy. I suppose they were foolish and vain, my expectations of this voyage. Sharing his thoughts, memories, his unique understanding of the history he’s made.

Be careful what you wish for, Jean-Luc!

However, I think my biggest criticism is that Sarek is largely sidelined in this — he’s the focus of the episode but we don’t get to see much of him. This is a necessity of the plot, of course, but we can identify with Picard’s thwarted expectations because it’s kind of disappointing, isn’t it? If you’ve got Mark Lenard on the show, why not give him more to do? Show him negotiating or something! We end up not seeing the Sarek we remember, the brilliant diplomat. Instead, we only see him as he is at the end of his life, and it’s so depressing. And I know that’s the point, but it’s still hard to watch. And here’s this other little bit of subtlety, that clearly tells us what this episode is all about:

PICARD: It’s ironic, isn’t it? All this magnificent technology and we find ourselves still susceptible to the ravages of old age. The loss of dignity, the slow betrayal of our bodies by forces we cannot master.

Thanks for that. The idea of losing my mind, my very personality, to something like Alzheimer’s is one of my greatest fears, and this episode taps directly into that. The scene where Sarek gives in to his emotions is extremely uncomfortable. But it’s also moving, and no one would blame you if you shed a tear, or even a few.

There are some other awkward bits that stick out to me, like the Captain’s Log where Picard exposits, “We are in orbit around Vulcan, preparing to welcome aboard Federation Ambassador Sarek and his wife Perrin, who like his first wife, is from Earth.” (Emphasis mine.) Why, oh why, is that relevant? Could we not just see her and figure that out for ourselves or have it mentioned in the dialogue? Who was that meant for? The hardcore Trekkies or people who have never seen Sarek on the original series? They also take some time later in the episode to clarify that Vulcans suppress their emotions, which I suppose is necessary for newer viewers who haven’t met any significant Vulcans on TNG yet, but is spoken from one person who understands Vulcans to another who understands Vulcans.

Anyway. I mention these really minor flaws only because this episode was perfect in my mind, and it didn’t quite live up to my memory of it. It is certainly nearly perfect, especially compared to the episodes preceding it, but I don’t think the way it’s structured and the overall thin plot would not be enough to carry the story if Mark Lenard were not in it. I’m leaning toward giving this a Warp 5, but it ends on just the perfect note and left me with a smile on my face, so I’ll forgive its slight imperfections. The writers were only human, after all.

Eugene’s Rating: Warp 6 (on a scale of 1-6)

Thread Alert: No criticisms, just wanted to note that the Vulcan garb is consistent with some of the designs we’ve seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and since, with Sarek’s robe particularly reminiscent of Spock’s outfit in Star Trek IV. It’s interesting to see such a range of designs that all fit the culture.

Best Line: SAREK: We shall always retain the best part of the other inside us.
PICARD: I believe I have the best part of that bargain, Ambassador.

Trivia/Other Notes: The screenwriter for this episode, Peter S. Beagle, is a notable fantasy author, perhaps best known for his novel The Last Unicorn.

Ira Steven Behr and Ron Moore gave this script an uncredited rewrite. Behr added the references to Spock, breaking the taboo against mentioning the original series (despite the appearance of a character from it), and wanted to add more direct references.

About Eugene Myers

E(ugene).C. Myers was assembled in the U.S. from Korean and German parts. He has published four novels and short stories in various magazines and anthologies, most recently 1985: Stori3s from SOS. His first novel, Fair Coin, won the 2012 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult SF and Fantasy. He currently writes for the science fiction serial ReMade from Serial Box Publishing.

22 Comments

1.DemetriosX

Posted August 8, 2013 at 8:33 AM

Really, this is one of the best TNG episodes. Top 5, easily. I think the only way it could have been any better is to use sharp cuts between Sarek negotiating and Picard channeling the emotion, rather than just focusing on the captain. I suppose it would have been nice to give the title character a little more screen time, but they were still stuck in this mode of not letting guest characters be the focus. Still letting Patrick Stewart and Mark Lenard play off of each other like this is a thrill to watch.

My guess for why Picard had to be the shunt is that he is the most emotionally controlled person on the ship. Sarek’s rank and pride would also seem to point to him accepting no one of lesser station and no one who is more familiar with him (i.e. his wife or just about any Vulcan).

I seem to invariably love Star Trek stories that involve getting old, like STII, STVI, “The Deadly Years,” and “The Counter-Clock Incident.” Well, this is no exception. Agreed with Demetrios on pretty much all points. One of, and possibly the best TNG episode. I have none of Eugene’s reservations. It doesn’t feel contrived to me at all, and Picard makes perfect sense as the choice for this, for all the reasons Demetrios mentions.

Every note here is perfect–the way his wife and his staff mean so well but are probably in as much denial as he is; choosing to frame the diagnosis as an “accusation”; and the manifold loss of dignity that Sarek suffers. Not just that, but the way his staff and family also suffer with him, sad and embarrassed that he must go through this.

I am so impressed on rewatch at how elegantly bittersweet the disease appears to we viewers. On the one hand, as Star Trek fans, we know that the loss of control over emotion is the ultimate indignity, “offensive” to a Vulcan. Sarek’s inability to control himself hearing music, or even getting through a conversation, is heartbreaking. It reminds me of every aging relative, and I feel uncomfortable watching this man break down. More than that, the idea of feeling such a tumult of intense anguish, despair, and regret is almost too difficult to imagine. What horror, to not be able to moderate one’s emotions and feelings? And yet… at the end, when he holds his wife’s hand on the transporter pad and finally gets to express the tenderness he has felt all along… we as viewers who daily express emotion take comfort in that small blessing, and wonder if perhaps this disease is a rare gift.

The other thing I really admire here is getting to see the depth of Vulcan emotion and the complexity of the mind meld. In TOS Spock uses the mind meld all the freaking TIME, but I love it when Sarek describes the process as a “terrible intimacy.” This was perhaps the first mind meld story to really confront what it would mean to share thoughts and feelings with someone. It reduces Picard to a raving prisoner, and makes Sarek’s choice to go along with it feel at least partially cruel and selfish.

Lastly, I just want to second that I love Sarek’s outfit. It’s beautiful, elegant, and dignified. Too bad his wife’s head piece was off-center THE WHOLE TIME. So distracting.

Warp 6

4.Lemnoc

Posted August 8, 2013 at 12:30 PM

@3 Torie

This was perhaps the first mind meld story to really confront what it would mean to share thoughts and feelings with someone. It reduces Picard to a raving prisoner, and makes Sarek’s choice to go along with it feel at least partially cruel and selfish.

Is this not the first time we’ve seen the mind meld treated in TNG? IIRC (could be wrong and am missing something) the only Vulcan we’ve seen prior to this TNG episode is Selar.

I think most mind melds we’ve seen have shown the ravages of the procedure… on Spock. The first time we see it, in “Dagger of the Mind,” Spock goes to some lengths to describe what a horror and violation it is (then proceeds, as Torie notes, to employ it all the freaking TIME). There we see Spock gets absorbed in an emotional transfer with a ravaged mind. Against the Horta he becomes a weeping mother. Nomad practically robotizes him. The only pleasant mind meld appears to be his conversation with the whales.

Demetrios makes good points. Picard would not let any of his crew volunteer for hazardous duty he was unwilling to undertake, and the assignment was of sufficient importance it needed his rank and experience. And Sarek probably would not want to share all this with a Barclay.

Spock melded with Nomad. Could a Vulcan mind meld with Data? Now THERE would have been some ironclad emotional stability for Sarek!

5.DeepThought

Posted August 8, 2013 at 1:09 PM

There’s a lot to notice in this episode about the way our own society handles mental illness, and the stigma attached to it.

Because let’s face it–for a Vulcan, that loss of emotional control is mental illness. (The level evidenced by Picard’s behavior would probably be considered so in a human as well, today…)

And yet in this supposedly enlightened and problem-free future, claims that someone is suffering from a rare condition over which he has no control, and which he would do almost anything to avoid if he could, are “accusations.” They are signs of a personal weakness or flaw that no one around him can admit, not because of fear of the disease, but because of the shame of the condition.

This episode is part of a culture that still denies and stigmatizes depression–a much more common disease which frequently strikes our own elderly, and whose symptoms may include inexplicable mood swings (though we also still want to hold people responsible for uncontrollable emotional lability caused by stroke or other brain damages).

In short–the episode is not only good in its own right, but also reveals a major blind spot that couldn’t be corrected into the perfect future. Or maybe cracks in that perfection are a good thing…
—
On another note, I think I need to renew my persistent objection to the entire notion of Vulcan “logic.” It’s so arbitrary… But moreover, display of emotion is imminently logical! Display of affection helps to knit groups of people together! Display of anger can be an effective intimidation tactic/threat display to get what one wants! Negotiations can often be significantly aided by signs of irrationality (c.f. Nixon trying to seem crazy enough that the Russians thought he just might actually push the button…) Someone with no emotional display would actually be a terrible negotiator.
…oh yeah, Picard notes that Sarek’s wife is human because he’s trying to remind whoever reads the log that the guy’s got a human fetish. (C’mon, you know it’s true.)

6.monoceros4

Posted August 8, 2013 at 2:08 PM

A first-rate episode, but I do share some of Eugene’s reservations, particularly about why Picard is chosen to aid Sarek through the treaty negotiations. Sarek’s aide, who had been covertly aiding his boss already, would seem a better choice; presumably with a full telepathic connection between him and Sarek he would be able to exercise much greater emotional control than he was able to do on the sly. Furthermore, Capt. Picard is after all the captain; is taking the risk of wrecking his mind really that wise? But I suppose we can say the same about sending the highest-ranking officers into unknown dangers on away missions; that’s not wise either but we accept it as a convention of the show.

And I’m sure there was some idea of giving Patrick Stewart a big acting scene, although usually in TNG those shows take the form of lectures, intended to get round plot difficulties through the magic of Picard’s oratory (qq.v. “The Measure of a Man”, “The Drumhead”.) Picard’s scenery-chewing here is effective, I must concede, even if it does feel the tiniest bit overblown. It’s well to look forward by the way to the reappearance of Sarek in a later episode, where his disease is considerably advanced and he is raving much as Picard does here. And it’s good, quite good. Mark Lenard’s scene is probably the high point of an otherwise rather disappointing two-parter. Nimoy and Lenard really were the only two actors to get a solid grip on Vulcan characters and make them cold yet still sympathetic.

There are a lot of really fine moments in this episode, though. I’ve always loved this exchange between Sarek and his aide, for example; it’s lodged firmly in my memory for years:

SAREK (with asperity): Your efforts will be no longer required!
AIDE (calmly): That would not be wise.
SAREK (sadly): No, it would not be wise…but it is necessary.

Also good, if harrowing, is the scene in which Picard assails Sarek verbally and compels him to acknowledge his illness. Picard has shown nothing but the utmost respect for Sarek up to now–very effectively rendered, too: you really do get the sense that the captain is in awe of the man, and that the awe is deserved. But Picard has to force Sarek to confront the truth and it’s almost painful to watch how effectively he does it. But a little exhilarating too: it’s always great to watch two forcible actors hammering away at each other.

I’d sort of forgotten Wesley was in this. Just as well. His scenes are probably the weakest in the episode, even if they serve a useful purpose.

A final observation: it’s a little unfortunate, but quite understandable, that we don’t get to see anything of the Legarans and Sarek’s negotiations with them. Keeping all that off-screen was maybe a good way to get around the limitation in effects that prevented showing us some truly alien aliens and not just another entry in the parade of Bumpy Forehead People (not to mention the even more lazily contrived Bumpy Nose People). But, still, it would have been nice to get a glimpse or two.

Apropos of nothing, the mention of a slime pit reminded me of the fake documentary of “A Shoggoth on the Roof”, in which it’s implied that the failed production of the Lovecraftian musical had actually been intended to feature a real shoggoth. A slime pit was called for there, as well.

7.Alex Templeton

Posted August 8, 2013 at 2:26 PM

This is not really a significant comment, but I have to say that I was really struck at how dead the words of Picard’s monologue are by themselves. It really is a credit to Stewart how much he put into so few lines.

8.DemetriosX

Posted August 9, 2013 at 6:13 AM

I was thinking about the exchange between Wesley and Geordi, and really it gets pretty vicious. Way beyond just “Oh, snap!” levels. Sure, we all know our friends’ weak points and what would hurt them most, and this is being instigated by the emotions flowing out of Sarek, but those jibes didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s actually a bit disturbing.

We’ve ignored the fact that Bendii Syndrome is obviously an analog of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer patients also tend to have very strong emotional reactions, especially anger and depression, much as we see from Sarek here. In a way, we have another sign that the writers have finally figured out what they’re doing. Even as late as the first half of this season, the normal procedure would have been to hit the viewers with a clue-by-four. Instead, they trust us to draw the inference for ourselves.

9.RSM

Posted August 9, 2013 at 10:33 AM

I love this episode. One of the few, along with “The Offspring” that always reduces me to tears. Really, only a master actor like Patrick Stewart could have pulled off the difficult scene after the mind meld.

As far as why he was the chosen within the context of the show, I assume it’s out of respect for Sarek. Sarek is a very senior and important person, and it seems only just and dignified to have him meld with someone senior and equally respected–an equal, or as much of one as anyone on the ship could be. Maybe also someone that Sarek would never see again, so that he wouldn’t have to face someone everyday that shared such intimate and intense emotions. Sarek might be additionally protective of his thoughts, and horrified by his loss of emotional control, because of any criticism he’s received for preferring human spouses. This clearly suggests a conflict within him about wanting to be perfectly Vulcan, and yet longing for a more expressive relationship by choosing to mate with a species that values expressiveness. Picard also has a personality that mirrors what Sarek would want to borrow –powerful, commanding, in control.

I love the scene where he grabs his wife’s hand. Maybe that’s the little part of Picard that stayed with him and showed him it’s alright to loosen up. Also, love the hug between Crusher and Picard when he cries. A great display of their own suppressed intimacy.

Can you imagine Troi in a mind meld? She couldn’t hold it together for more than two seconds in the FarPoint episode when she feels the intense pain. Sarek would’ve busted her brain. Plus, can you imagine the Crusher/Picard scene with Troi and Riker? Ugh.

10.David Stevens (@DavStevens1947)

Posted August 9, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Peter has announced but not yet published a book about this episode, to include the script. Thanks for such a complete analysis; this is certainly among my favorite episodes, if not my single favorite.

11.DemetriosX

Posted August 9, 2013 at 3:38 PM

@3 Torie

Lastly, I just want to second that I love Sarek’s outfit. It’s beautiful, elegant, and dignified. Too bad his wife’s head piece was off-center THE WHOLE TIME. So distracting.

Obviously, Perrin is an architect. Despite repeated psychological studies proving that humans find symmetry to be beautiful, architects continue to insist that true beauty is found in asymmetry. The fact that the rest of her outfit could be viewed as a turtleneck on steroids also argues for this. The only negative data point is that it is white rather than black.

Many terrific observations here. I think I do buy some of these theories as to why Picard is the best/only choice for a mind meld, but they just went from “no human could survive” to Picard doing it anyway pretty fast without sufficiently justifying (for me) why they could expect he would be any different.

@3 TorieLastly, I just want to second that I love Sarek’s outfit. It’s beautiful, elegant, and dignified.

Something I wanted to mention: Do Vulcans were hooded robes just so they can pull the hood down dramatically and, what, reveal their pointed ears? Sarek arrives on the transporter pad with a hood on and standing in profile, seemingly for no other reason than to make a grand entrance. Was it chilly in the transporter room he departed from?

I was thinking the same thing. There has to have been some underlying resentment, just plain meanness there.

@10 David
Thanks for mentioning that! I would love to read Peter’s original teleplay for this.

13.monoceros4

Posted August 9, 2013 at 4:31 PM

It occurred to me this morning that this episode, while very strong, is nevertheless an example of a common type of story cranked out by the TNG Plot Generator. It sometimes seemed that the Enterprise wasn’t so much an vessel of exploration or even a battleship but really a sort of diplomatic car, a Federation repmobile with consular plates, ferrying ambassadors and negotiators around usually to meetings with emissaries of newly mentioned civilizations who never get mentioned again. There are worse framing devices for episodes but here it’s particularly obvious that it is just a frame since we never see the supposedly all-important Legarans or learn any of the terms of the treaty the Federation is concluding with them.

Another feature of the plot of “Sarek” that popped up in a few episodes is the absolute irreplaceability of the Federation negotiator. We saw it earlier in that not very good episode “Loud as a Whisper” and we’ll see it again in that not very much better episode with the Trill ambassador for whom Riker must partly substitute.

Apropos of nothing, that barroom brawl scene is a bit too silly, especially since it faithfully obeys the movie cliché of having everyone in the bar suddenly begin whaling on each other even though it’s probably that at least some of them had been sitting quietly together for a while without trouble. (Roger Ebert called this the “As Long As You’re Up Get Me a 2 x 4” rule in his “Little Movie Glossary”.)

14.monoceros4

Posted August 9, 2013 at 4:34 PM

I was thinking the same thing. There has to have been some underlying resentment, just plain meanness there.

Don’t forget too that Wesley gets even more abuse later from his mother. You get the inadvertent picture that nobody really much likes Wesley, deep down: LaForge thinks he’s a loser and his mom thinks he’s a disrespectful snot.

@13 monoceros4Apropos of nothing, that barroom brawl scene is a bit too silly

I didn’t mind it that much because it reminded me of the fight scene from “The Trouble with Tribbles” — which I suppose kind of proves your point. But it was kind of funny to see something like that happen in Ten Forward, and amusing when Riker gets laid out with one hit and goes down like a sack of potatoes.

16.Ludon

Posted August 9, 2013 at 9:42 PM

I’ve not re-watched this one but I noticed in the top picture that Perrin’s ears are covered by her headpiece. Is that a regular look for her when she and Sarek are out in public, or has she taken to this look since the onset of the bendii in an effort to help Sarek by avoiding, or at least delaying, the ‘Oh, she’s a Human’ reaction in other Vulcans when they’d see her. That reaction would be something Sarek would pick up on.

17.RSM

Posted August 10, 2013 at 2:41 PM

Awww, poor Wesley. I’m probably one of the only people out there that likes Wesley and always did. His lines are frequently poorly written, but I always thought it was cool that he was smarter than the adults and that he was a nice, sweet person. I don’t think it’s implausible, by the way, for him to be smarter than the rest of the officers–if we truly subscribe to the idea that he is a real genius, like the kind that would go to college at thirteen or something.

Anyway…I digress. I didn’t take his fight with Geordi as an indication of underlying resentment or that no one really likes Wesley and it’s coming out. It’s a well written scene because it shows how nasty we can be to our friends/loved ones if we lose control of our anger. No one can hurt you like the people you love most and vice versa. They are the ones that know you best.

18.Toryx

Posted August 12, 2013 at 11:21 AM

@12 Eugene:Something I wanted to mention: Do Vulcans were hooded robes just so they can pull the hood down dramatically and, what, reveal their pointed ears? Sarek arrives on the transporter pad with a hood on and standing in profile, seemingly for no other reason than to make a grand entrance. Was it chilly in the transporter room he departed from?

Well Vulcan is a harsh desert planet with two suns. Vulcan’s probably are used to much warmer conditions and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they typically find human environments to be chilly. Maybe they suffer from cold eartips? Combined with Sarek’s age, I can see why he’d prefer to keep well covered.

I’ve long been a fan of this episode but I’ve never cared for Sarek being married to another human wife. I suppose it shows consistency but for Sarek to marry a second human is just so…illogical. He’d have to know that he’d either outlive her again or she’d need to be so young that he’d be ancient in comparison. Acting so illogically once you can put down to rash youth (the Vulcan version, anyhow) but twice? It just doesn’t compute for me.

Good point on the hood, although weren’t they coming from another starship? Oh well. Maybe the hood is lined with tinfoil, which helps shield his thoughts…

The thing about Perrin for me was, first, sadness that Amanda was gone, though of course that makes sense. And second, it seemed sort of inappropriate to marry another human, like marrying someone who looks just like your last significant other. On the one hand, it makes sense because he’s an ambassador to Earth and spends quite a bit of time there (the Abrams movie suggests it was practically expected of him), but then you have that whole thing in Enterprise about humans smelling bad to Vulcans — though I would sooner have both of those “contributions” stricken from continuity.

20.Bluejay Young

Posted August 15, 2013 at 12:56 AM

@Eugene Myers – Sarek loves to enter in a hooded robe and then do a dramatic reveal. He does it in The Search for Spock, where it was really effective. I was expecting him to show up and I still said “oh my God”.

21.Firefox

Posted November 3, 2013 at 10:42 PM

I liked this episode as well, especially since it was one of those occasions that really let Patrick Stewart flex his acting chops. However, I did have some of the same issues mentioned by others here (i.e. why would it be Picard in the mind meld instead of the Vulcan aide?). I know at some point you need to simply accept it as a conceit, but there’s got to be a way to write in a plausible reason.